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Committee clears bill removing mandatory fee for digital driver's license option
Summary
House Bill 1135 was approved to remove a required $10 fee for an optional digital driver's license and extend the provision to identification cards; the Department of Finance and Administration indicated vendor funds will cover deployment.
The committee approved House Bill 1135 to remove a mandatory $10 fee for users who choose a digitized driver’s license and to expand the option to include state identification cards.
Representative Acre, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) completed procurement and found sufficient vendor-fund resources to operationalize the digital credential without needing the $10 statutory fee. The amended language replaces a mandatory $10 charge with authorizing language that allows DFA to set a fee up to $10 if necessary.
Representative Meeks asked whether the statute would still permit charging up to $10; Acre confirmed the department could charge anywhere from $0 to $10. Meeks also asked what distinguishes a digital credential from a photograph of a license. Acre explained the digital credential includes a scannable barcode that connects in real time to Driver Services records; a photograph of a license is not scannable and therefore cannot provide the same verification.
No witnesses registered for or against the bill during committee testimony. Members moved to pass the bill; the chair called for the ayes and announced the bill carried.
Under the bill as presented, a law enforcement officer may still require presentation of the physical license even when a digital option is available. The department indicated it will initially keep the fee at $0 because vendor funds are sufficient to cover implementation costs.
